Casper College instructor teaches in Poland

by Joe Sova
Friday, November 13, 2009 1:58 PM MST

Dr. Barbara Mueller, anthropology instructor at Casper College, said before spending about four months teaching at a university in Krakow, Poland, that it would be an "insightful and interesting" experience. It was that and more for Mueller, who has taught a variety of courses at Casper College over a 24-year span.

Mueller became the director of international education at Casper College three years ago, and started the exchange program with Poland. She calls it a "sister college partnership."

Mueller strongly believes in the importance of international experience and has made a concerted effort to travel to 100 countries on seven continents. She has been selected to participate in a variety of Fulbright-Hays and NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) summer programs which have enabled her to study with leading scholars in Central and South America as well as Europe.

She was the recipient of the Rotary District 5440 Grant for University Teachers, and was one of 29 instructors to receive a grant for U.S. college faculty for 2008-09 offered by Rotary International, according to Linda Blackstone, director of network operations.

Mueller taught English Conversation and American Studies elective classes at AGH University of Science and Technology, a college with about 33,000 students in Krakow, from mid-February to early June.

During her Brown Bag presentation “The Joys and Tribulations of University Teaching in Krakow” last month at Casper College, Mueller indicated that she was not only an instructor, but also a student who learned a lot about culture in Poland and Krakow, a city of 750,000 people.

No supervision for Mueller

Mueller stepped into the classroom and took the reins right away. "I had no supervision," she said. She did get some help along the communication lines from an AGH graduate student, but she taught without a class syllabus.

AGH had primarily been a technology and mining university, but now the major focus is on humanities and social sciences, Mueller said. That was because of a decline in industries such as mining in Poland.

There is a very low percentage of non-traditional students at AGH; a large majority are in the 18- to 21-year-old range. In past years, there was no tuition cost for students. Now there are nominal tuition fees.

According to Mueller, teachers in Poland are "very, very busy," and most teach at more than one location since teacher/instructor salaries are quite low.

She said college students at AGH speak English, some more refined than others, so communication was not an obstacle in her classes. "Some are very shy talking in class," Mueller said. "Many of them had British accents. The students were polite."

Mueller was the first English teacher from America that the AGH students had. "They wanted to know about our slang," she said. "I had to put words together in sentences.

"They have some motivated students," Mueller said of AGH in terms of willingness to learn. "I had some 'A' students, very dedicated, others had excuses."

In contrast to the U.S., Polish students sit near the front of the class rather than taking seats in the back.

Mueller indicated that AGH students took advantage of getting days off from classes  as they would take Thursday and Friday off when a holiday such as Easter was just ahead. In Poland, Easter is a week-long celebration. Independence Day is celebrated on May 3 with a large parade. College students enjoy a festival called Juwenalia, which marks the end of the semester and the onset of spring.

In contrast to the U.S., Polish students have three chances to pass a finals exam  the only major test of the semester.

Living in Krakow

While in Krakow, Mueller and her husband Ed lived in dormitory. Their residence was about the size of a double-car garage. There was a washing machine available, but no dryer. The Muellers had to drink bottled water. She said they had to go grocery shopping just about every day since they had a very small refrigerator.

The cost of meals in the AGH cateteria is only about $3, and eating at cafes and restaurants was a good option  given the quality of food in Krakow. As an example, there are about 100 types of kielbasa (sausage) in Poland. Pizza and Kubr-brand beer was a popular combination  for students and non-students alike.

There was always something to do or see during non-class time for the Muellers, with many of the activities related to music and the arts. Site to see included the Krakow Ghetto Memorial and Schindler's factory in Nowa Huta, a "steel city" adjacent to Krakow that is now basically abandoned. Poland was a Soviet Bloc country at one time.

Poland is a country rich in culture, and the Muellers learned a lot about it while in Krakow. Perhaps teaching in another European country is over the horizon for Barbara Mueller.

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